No Christmas cheer at town halls

Ruidoso, Ruidoso Downs mayors at odds

This year's start of harmonious relations between Ruidoso and Ruidoso Downs has turned into disharmony.

The mayors of the two municipalities have snipped at one another for more than a month, as evidenced by an exchange of letters.

The current discord was triggered after a Nov. 19 correspondence from Ruidoso Downs Mayor Gary Williams to Ruidoso Mayor Ray Alborn. It referenced a Nov. 13 meeting that, according to the letter, involved Alborn, Village Manager Debi Lee and Ruidoso Downs Police Chief Doug Babcock.

"Village officials initiated the meeting without the awareness or consent of the mayor's office," Williams wrote in the opening salvo. "This was disrespectful and discourteous towards the city of Ruidoso Downs and its elected officials. My office was blindsided by the clandestine meeting involving village officials and a city director discussing an employee's conduct.

"This office will not tolerate this type of behavior in the future from elected officials from any community," Williams continued. "Our recent conversations about cooperating between our communities seem to have fallen on deaf ears. I am dismayed and disappointed that this incident occurred," Williams stated.

The letter concluded with a notice that "proper protocols" should be used in the future to communicate with Ruidoso Downs officials or employees.

Ruidoso's mayor responds

Then in a Nov. 27 reply, Alborn wrote to Williams that he was dismayed with what he said was William's loss of memory and the letter's description of a "clandestine" meeting.

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"It has come to my attention that you have made frequent calls to our deputy clerk and that you visited with her on village time in village hall without my permission," Alborn stated. "I was not advised of these meetings or communications and this office will not tolerate this type of behavior in the future from elected officials from any community."

Alborn told Williams that any contact with village of Ruidoso staff should be made through the village's attorney. Shortly after Williams was elected mayor in March he attempted to replace long-time City Clerk Carol Virden with Ruidoso's Deputy Clerk Bertha Randolph. Contacts initiated by Williams with Randolph were referenced in Alborn's Nov. 27 letter.

"When I asked Bertha of the possibility of working over here when I first started, I went through him (Alborn), I went through the village manager, and I went through the village clerk to get access to her," Williams said. "So I went through the proper channels to have an opportunity to talk to her. So he's blowing it out there for no reason."

The underlying issue

The crux of the recently erupted controversy involved a Ruidoso Downs police officer.

"They set up a meeting, both himself (Alborn) and the village manager, with my police chief to discuss one of my employees in the police department who had ticketed a couple of their employees," Williams said in an interview last week. "That employee is involved with a legal issue (directed at the village). And so I took offense to that. For one thing, for them not letting me know that they were going have this discussion. And two, it's improper to talk about an employee of another community without the knowledge of the mayor of that community."

Public disagreement

What might have remained a private spat was made public two weeks ago by Ruidoso Downs City Councilor Dean Holman during the Dec. 10 council meeting. He contended the issue could lead to legal proceedings.

"This has to do with the letter that our mayor received from the village of Ruidoso," Holman said. "It was somewhat confrontational, no matter if they feel it was deserved.

I want to address this to be sure we get covered so the city's not going to get sued and the councilors along with the ride because we know that could happen."

Holman's interpretation of the letter from Alborn was that Williams was not allowed at Ruidoso Village Hall unless he went through the "proper channels."

The former educator and principal noted schools have procedures for those who come into school buildings.

"And that goes for all of us on the council," Holman said. "Any municipality that you go to, if you don't have an appointment first thing that you probably want to do is check in with them. And this just covers you. But I hope that we will get this situation resolved."

Holman said hostility adding to the problem is not needed.

Williams welcome

Asked if Williams was barred or restricted from Ruidoso Village Hall, Manager Debi Lee responded, "Absolutely not. I haven't seen him here in the last little bit," Lee said. "He used to come to our council meetings. But there's not any kind of ban on the mayor from the Downs."